


Working Relationship

by foxysquid



Category: Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-19
Updated: 2013-04-19
Packaged: 2017-12-08 22:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/766866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxysquid/pseuds/foxysquid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mia has a strict policy of not dating people she works with. Can Diego Armando make her change her mind?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Working Relationship

"Hello there, Ms. Fey."

She turned at the sound of that familiar voice that always seemed to have a smile in it. "Hello, Mr. Armando."

He nodded politely. He had a cup of coffee in his hands, as always. "Nice day, isn't it?"

As this was Friday, she knew what was coming next, but she pretended that she didn't. "Very nice," she agreed, trying not to sound too enthusiastic about it.

He took another sip of his coffee, then proved her correct in her suspicions. "Would you care to go out for dinner with me tonight?"

"No, thank you. But it's sweet of you to ask."

He didn't press or even look disappointed. He nodded again and smiled. "It's been a pleasure talking to you, Ms. Fey, as always. Sadly, I've got to get back to work on my brief. Grossberg wants something from me by the end of the day. And not a dinner invitation, because he's still holding out on me."

She couldn't completely suppress a laugh. It was slightly funny when he flirted with Grossberg, especially when Grossberg got flustered and started muttering nonsense about lemons. If it carried on for too long, he could even get onto the topic of pineapples and mangoes.

She saw Diego again later, as she was preparing to leave for the day. She was putting on her coat and was having a slight problem making her arm go through the sleeve. "Let me get that for you, Ms. Fey," he said. He held the coat up for her, long enough for her to slide her arm through properly.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome." He inclined his head and hefted his briefcase. "Have a good weekend. I'll see you Monday."

He was mannerly and conscientious. She had to give him that. Although he was also arrogant, and he could be frustratingly smug. Not to mention the fact that he seemed to flirt with everyone, so she didn't feel singled out or particularly flattered by his attentions. She didn't feel-- _special_. However, she wasn't upset by his professed interest in her. She simply assumed it was something he did with any attractive woman who started working at the firm.

It wasn't that she didn't like him, as a person. On the contrary, she liked him quite a lot. They'd been working together a great deal lately, especially after what had happened with the Terry Fawles case. It was rare, now, for a day to pass without him coming to visit her at her desk with some new scrap of information or insight. When she gave him her opinion, he listened intently. Not because she was a woman he found attractive, but because she was a colleague, and he valued her input. He took in everything she said, considering her words seriously. She could tell that from his replies.

Sometimes they would talk for so long, she would completely forget about whatever project she was supposed to be working on. This had left her constantly in danger of missing deadlines for the past few weeks. Fortunately, so far, she'd managed to push out enough last minute work each time to avoid disaster. Still, it was affecting her productivity. She had to keep that in mind. She could only imagine how much worse it would be if she actually _dated_ him.

Diego was about to leave, but with his hand on the door, he hesitated. "Can I ask you a question, Ms. Fey?"

"You certainly can, Mr. Armando."

"Is there a particular reason you don't want to go to dinner with me? I'll understand if you don't want to say, but if there is a reason, I'd appreciate it it you'd let me know."

"Honestly, Mr. Armando?"

"Honesty is good for the soul," he said. "Go ahead. I can take it."

"I don't date people I work with. It's never a good idea. I've worked too hard to get where I am, and I'm not going to jeopardize that for anything."

Diego nodded, slowly. "I can respect that."

She was pleased that he didn't try to argue with her or list the reasons why she should make an exception in his case, which she had been half-expecting him to do. He was a man who loved to argue, after all. "Thank you."

"Thank you for your candor. I admire people with principles. You're a very admirable woman."

"I appreciate that."

His smile was as warm as his eyes, as warm as the red fabric of his vest. "Have a good weekend," he said again.

"I plan to."

***

As she'd promised him, she did have an excellent weekend. She spent some time with Maya, which she always looked forward to, and she was actually able to relax for a short while, following a typically stressful work week. She seemed to be working all the time lately. Whenever she wasn't laboring over one of her officially assigned tasks, she was busy with one of her own personal research projects.

Still, a weekend's rest didn't leave Mia feeling any more refreshed when Monday came. As she hurried down the sidewalk, rushing from the bus stop to Grossberg Law Offices, she thought of Diego again. She expected she'd see him in a minute or two, breathing in the steam rising from his coffee cup as he asked her about her weekend, as he did every Monday morning.

As soon as she stepped through the office door, she could tell something was wrong.

Mr. Hammond was standing in the hallway, yelling at one of the secretaries. The door to Grossberg's office was open, and she could hear--were those sobs?--coming from inside. The other employees who were present were clearly in a state of high agitation, either rustling through papers, clicking away frantically on their computers, or scurrying from one spot to another as if looking for someplace to flee to within the confines of the building.

"What's wrong?" she asked another of the secretaries, a mild man named Mr. Humble. He was kneeling near the door, pretending to go through some files that were stored on a bottom shelf, clearly hoping to escape Hammond's wrath by hiding from him.

"It's Mr. Armando," he said, in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

Mia glanced around the office again. She didn't see Diego anywhere, though he might have been in any of the other rooms. "What happened? Is he all right?"

Mr. Humble nodded. "Yes, Ms. Fey. It's just that--he quit."

_Oh no._ She felt her jaw drop. "He quit?"

"Yes, without any warning. No one knows why. Mr. Armando can be--," he paused to search for a diplomatic word, "--unpredictable, but he's never done anything like this before!"

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Mr. Humble nodded toward Mr. Hammond. Mia sighed. Yes, someone had to deal with him. He was a good man, but he could be a trial, and none of the secretaries or paralegals would dare to stand up to him. It would take another lawyer, and judging by the sounds of his sobs, that lawyer wasn't going to be Grossberg.

Mia's morning was so hectic, that by the time she was able to escape for her lunch break, she all but dashed out the door, almost forgetting her coat and purse. She was so fixed on getting somewhere far, far away from every lawyer and legal secretary in the world, she didn't notice that someone was hurrying to catch up with her until she heard that familiar voice again. "Slow down there, Kitten."

Diego Armando. She turned to glare at him. She'd already had a terrible morning, thanks to him, and she'd given him a talking to about calling her "Kitten" on more than one occasion. "Hello, Mr. Armando," she said stiffly, refusing to slow down even a little.

He lengthened his strides to match her pace, with an infuriating lack of visible effort. "You're looking nice today," he said.

"I certainly don't feel nice."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What's wrong?"

She stopped short, in the middle of the sidewalk. He stopped short, too. "Why did you quit?" she asked. She thought she already knew the answer, but her suspicion was so ridiculous, so outrageous, she had to hear the truth from him before she could be entirely sure.

"Would you like to go to lunch with me?" he replied.

They were blocking the sidewalk, forcing people to circle around them to pass, but Mia didn't care. She hardly noticed. "That doesn't answer my question."

"Doesn't it? I quit so I could take you to lunch. Though feel free to say no. I don't want you to feel obligated in any way. I just wanted to have the chance."

"You would quit your job to ask me on a date?"

"I would."

"Why?"

"I can easily find another job. I can't find another you."

She stared up at him. Somehow, he could say that kind of thing and sound like he meant it. It was a cold day, but her face felt warm. Belatedly, she realized that for once, Diego was coffeeless. His hands were empty. She wondered if that meant something. She decided that it did. "I'll go to lunch with you today," she said, matter-of-factly. "But there's one condition."

"Anything."

"As soon as we're done, you'll come back to the office, apologize to Grossberg, and ask for your job back."

"But--"

She didn't let him finish whatever he'd been about to say, continuing calmly. "I hope you won't respect me any less for not upholding my own principles, but I'll agree to date you, even though we work together."

"Not at all," he said. "The strongest principles are those which can be flexible, as the circumstances change. Also, I think you'll realize what a good decision you've made, once you see where I'm taking you for lunch."

Mia laughed. She started walking again. As she went forward, he stayed at her side, matching her stride for stride. "You're so impossible sometimes," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Diego winked.


End file.
